‘Make or break’ on clean energy

Unite, Britain’s biggest union, and the National Union of Mineworkers have joined forced to call on the Government to fully commit to the “clean energy” technology, which they claim will cut energy bills, create jobs as well as reduce carbon emissions.

The UK is facing a “make of break moment” if it is to take advantage of its “prime position to be a world leader in carbon capture technology,” the unions will tell a seminar in Sheffield today.

Speakers at the conference include shadow Energy Minister Tom Greatrex and Peter Emery, production director for Drax power station, near Selby, which is aiming to become the UK’s first “clean coal” power station.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from sources such as coal fired power stations, transporting it to a storage site, and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere - normally underground.

A Unite spokesman said: “CCS technologies could reduce the overall carbon emissions from coal-fired power stations by around 90 per cent. The inclusion of CCS could also result on the reduction in the price of wholesale electricity by 15 per cent.

“But failure to embrace CCS will have devastating consequences for jobs with the premature closure of coal-fired power stations without the deployment of CCS.”

Unions cited the example of Eggborough, a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, where 800 jobs are due to be lost if it closes in 2015 because of a lack of subsidies to covert it from coal to biomass.

“Had CCS already been in use those jobs and the power produced by Eggborough would still be viable,” said a Unite spokesman.

At nearby Drax power station, the White Rose power project is proposing the create the country’s first “clean coal” power plant. The project has been beset by delays because of the Government’s failure to commit to any single project.

If the White Rose project does go ahead, the effect on job creation will be significant, according to unions.

“If the White Rose CCS project goes ahead the immediate short term effect would be to create over 1,000 construction jobs during a four-year period as well as securing the jobs within the local existing supply chain,” said a Unite spokesman.

Unite national officer Kevin Coyne said: “Capture carbon or lose jobs – that is our message to the Government.

“The UK is facing a make or break moment if the country is to take advantage of its prime position to be a world leader in carbon capture technology. If the Government steps up and embraces carbon capture it will cut energy bills, create jobs and reduce CO2 emissions.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency because jobs are already being lost, like those at Eggborough power station and our energy supplies are being put at risk. We hope our conference will focus minds and will be a step further towards keeping the lights on and creating jobs.”

Labour MP Tom Greatrex will tell the Sheffield seminar that the Government should be doing as much as possible to get CCS up and running on a commercial scale, as it is in Canada.

“There are a number of CCS projects in the UK which have got as far as small-scale demonstrations. There has been a lot of time and investment by companies but for these projects to get to the next stage the support regime needs to work for them.”

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